What are the Chicago Blackhawks getting in interim head coach Anders Sorensen?

With the firing of Luke Richardson Thursday, Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson announced that Rockford's Anders Sorensen will be the team's head coach for the remainder of the season.

Many fans are likely wondering what the Hawks are getting in Anders Sorensen.

Before joining the Blackhawks organization as a development coach in 2014,Sorensen coached Södertälje SK in Sweden’s second-tier professional league, HockeyAllsvenskan. From 2011 to October 2013, he was their assistant coach before he was promoted to interim head coach for the remainder of the season. 

Sorensen remained a development coach for the Hawks and IceHogs until 2018 when he was promoted to the IceHogs’ assistant coach position. In 2021, Sorensen was named the Icehogs’ interim head coach and eventually assumed the post full-time in 2022.

During his tenure as Rockford’s head coach, Sorensen compiled a record of 117-89-16-7, and the IceHogs made the playoffs each year under his leadership.

Sorensen’s history as a development coach, coupled with his success in advancing players from Rockford to the NHL, should be encouraging to Hawks fans. 

As head coach, Sorensen oversaw the development of Alex Vlasic, Lukas Reichel, and Nolan Allan while helping top prospects such as Frank Nazar, Artyom Levshunov, and Colton Dach continue to round out their games this season.

Furthermore, his previous experience as an interim head coach will be a boon as he will know how to navigate the stress of not having secured NHL employment beyond this season.

One major critique of Richardson was that he was stalling the young Hawks’ development, most importantly Connor Bedard’s.

Sorensen’s proven track record in the AHL should ease some of those worries as he will have familiarity with the youth and the roster, and he clearly knows how to instill confidence in younger players. 

After his first practice, Sorensen noted that he wanted to improve the Hawks’ defensive zone and that he wanted the team to play with pace and competitiveness – all aspects of the game that the team has been lacking in this season.

This could mean taking older, slower veterans out of the lineup and giving players such as Reichel and Philipp Kurashev extended time on Bedard’s wing.

Overall, Hawks fans should be optimistic about Sorensen taking over as interim. It was time for Richardson to go – his messaging had gone stale and the team was underperforming. Sorensen should bring a fresh voice into the locker room that will hopefully enable the team to play free and start picking up some more wins.